Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-02-28
TAGGING LAWMAKERS.
AN EXTRA SESSION OF CONGRESS
AMONG THE PROBABILITIES.

WASHINGTON CITY, Feb. 2S.-The pros
pect of an extra session of congress result
ing from failure to pass all needed and me-
cessary appropriation bills is seriously dis
cussed here, and one is sure to come unless
congress transacts more business within the
remaining four legislative days of the session
than it has been known to do for the past
twenty years Opinions of members of the
appropriations committees of the two houses
are most valuable in predicting a result one
way or another, and leading and well in
formed members of these committees differ
about it. Allison, chairman of the senate
appropriations committee, feels doubtful;
while Beck, another member of that COM
mittee, thinks it extremely doubtful whether
all the appropriation bills can be cleared up
in time for adjournment at noon next FRI
day Lefevre, of the house appropriations
committee, says things are in a bad middle,
and thinks the passage of all appropriation
bills before tho fixed time for adjournment
looks doubtful
Randall chairman of the house committee,
and who probably knows better than any
congressman the amount of work to be done
before the day of adjournme mt, thinks there
is ample time to pass all the appropriation
bills He has purposely delayed on appro-
priation bills in order to prevent, in the last
days Of congress, a rush Of unnecessary and
perhaps pernicious legislation. frequently
the last six days of session has witnessed a
scramble for the passage of bills, good, bad
and Indifferent, and Randall, it is said, is de-
termined this year to prevent recurrence
OF such hasty legislation by keeping the ap
preparation bills in the way, and using up
the remaining time OF the session with their
consideration and passage.
1t will, however, require diligent work,
harmonious action, and great deal of self
sacrifice on the part of members to avoid the
necessity of an extra session. There remains
counting Mondays session. just ninety-eight
hours within which the Forty-ninth congress
can do business, and it is probable that the
session will be almost continuous during that
time.
Work in both houses will be contine1 al
most wholly to appropriation bills, which are
further behind than for many years at this
! period OF an expiring congress. Only three
| of the regular fourteen appropriation bills
have finally passed both branches-she army
| pension, and military academy while five
are in the hands of conference committees
| These are the postoifice, Indian, sundry civil
| District of Columbia, and river and harbor,
the last named going to conference only
| Saturday The naval bill passed the house
| Saturday, with such amendments as TO re-
| guire a great deal of conference discussion.
| The consular and diplomatic bill has passed.
| both houses. but there are serious differences
| existing, AMI great deal of wraugling must
| ensue. the Republicans in both houses insist
| ing upon increasing the salaries of various
| officers, and they are seconded by the DEM
| ocratic members of tile house COMMITTEES on
| foreign affairs. The agricultural bill has
| passed both houses, and the lower branch
viii agree to the amendments of the senate
| transferring the weather bureau to the new
| department Of agriculture and labor, in all
| probability, the house committee on a-ri-
| culture has agreed To recommend concur
| renee. The deficiency bill Is on the house
| calendar, and will likely be passed under q
suspension Of the rules very soon. The legis-
lative, executive and Judicial appropriation
| bill is pending in the house on its first read.
| ing
| This is the measure, it is said, which will
bring about called session of congress
| should there be one. 1t is the bill which a..
avs calls forth most debate, and has, it is
claimed, been held back to obviate Gloss
scrutiny. 1t consists of i07 pages, while the
deficiency bill, which it is proposed to pas
under suspension Of the rules, has seventy,
one pages. There is vastly more necessity
however of debate on the legislative thar
the deficiency bill. Members of the senat-
| committee on appropriations say thatif ths
legislative bill does not reach them in printed
form before Tuesday morning it Will fail
and of course an extra session will follow, n.
tue executive and Judicial branches of tn,
government can not exist without money
even for a month.
If the current of bills was drifting in tht
reversed directioH-goiag 10 the house from
the senate, instead of vice versa-an extrs
session could not b. avoided. The capacity
of the senate for rushing work can alone b
relied upon now to pull things through. Th;
senate WILL of course, take up as fast as pos
sible the appropriation bills as they com
from the house or conference committees, L
will have some spare tiBle from this work
AMI this will b, devoted 10 a very few I'm
pOrtant measures AMI secret Sessions for tn.
consideration of executive business Tn,
| Republican senator's in caucus have revised
their order of business when not employee
on appropriation bills during the remainde
| Of the session, AMI it is as follows
The Ileuro-pneumonia bill, labor arbtra
ton, the prohibition of transmission of LOT.
terry advertisements through the mails, bill
quieting titles to DIS Moines river lands, bill
authorizing suits against the United States
private land claims in certain states and ter
rtOries, the bill TO erect monument to tn,
II L l.
ton, the bill reimbursing Virginia and Other
states on account of the war of 1sl2 and tht
international copyright bill, Conference re
ports on other privileged questions will TAX
the floor at any and all times Pension bills
general and private, will come next, an,
house bills will come up III the morning houl
unier the Harris rule
In the house the suspension of the rule
VIII b. but little us, as notice has baeI
gwen by Randall an sustained by th,
speak r that appropriation balls and con
ference reports are to occupy the floor con
| t'nuously, when they are ready for consider
alton. The bill proposing change of presi
d initial Inauguration day to the last Tuesday
in April, the Pacific railroads investigator:
| bill The fisheries BILL the Detroit publ,
building bill, and few other measures, no
in the line favored by this announcement
will likely receive attention. No fortified
tons bill has yet been completed by the con
ference committee appointed last year. bu
one is expected daily, and if it does appea
will take up SOME time. Then there may b.
received at any moment vetoed bills fror
the president, to aggrivate the house or sen
ate and consume valuable time. Both house
are expected to sit continuously till the las
hour-Friday noon-only taking short re
cesses.